SOUTHERN UTAH – Unplug the children and take the family chopping. This year, take a walk in the woods and go chopping. Yes, that’s right, take your family chopping for a Christmas tree. Start a new tradition of cutting the family Christmas tree together in southern Utah’s Dixie National Forest.
Permits for trees up to ten feet can be purchased for $10, and permits for trees above ten feet can be purchased for $20. What’s more, “Receipts from this special forest program go back into a local fund that directly benefits recreation users on the Dixie National Forest,” said DNF Public Affairs Officer Joe Harris.
Special regulations dictate what types of trees can be cut in different areas of the forest. “For instance,” Harris said, “on Cedar Mountain it is legal to cut white fir, subalpine fir, pinion, and juniper. On the Powell and Escalante Ranger Districts, all tree species except bristlecone pine can be taken.”
Tree permit purchase locations
Permits are available at all Dixie National Forest Offices – St. George, Cedar City, Panguitch and Escalante – and through partner vendors, including, Ace Hardware in Cedar City, Boulder Exchange in Boulder, Clarke’s Market in Tropic, Antimony Merc in Antimony, Cottam’s Canyon Country in Escalante, and Veyo Mercantile in Veyo.
A few things to remember when cutting your perfect tree
- Tags, which come with the permit, should be attached to the tree when it is cut.
- Stumps left after cutting should be no higher than six inches, and any branches left on the stump should be lopped off.
- To limit damage to the forest road system, please do not drive on wet roads.
For more information, or suggestions on where to cut a tree, visit your local Forest Service office or call the Dixie National Forest at 435-865-3700.
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I am glad to see they are promoting this. Yet I am not thrilled with the Bush Hogging that is going on. They could quite easily let people get permits specifically for those areas for firewood or for a Christmas tree and achieve the same goal. Honestly the BLM and USFS needs to send crews back in to the areas where the bush hogs have been and clear out the trails and roads of all the limbs they have scattered. That would save a lot of people the headache of replacing blown tires and the LONG walk home to get help in some cases.